When should I use a wine carafe?

Wine can contain up to 500 aroma molecules, and many of them are only revealed upon contact with oxygen. That’s why fine wines in particular should be aged for a certain period of time. While resting in the cellar, only a tiny amount of air gets through the cork and into the bottle, allowing the wine to slowly develop until it is ready to drink. If you catch it at the optimal moment: perfect. Often, however, you may open your precious bottle and notice that it still appears quite reserved: minimal fruit, very rough on the tongue, simply unrefined. When this happens, a carafe can do wonders. It’s essentially an ageing accelerator: Pour in your wine, swirl it vigorously, wait a few hours and you’re good to go!